The Truth
by purrfictionist
Summary: Story takes place in 1840 after TGL. Sydney Sage loses her memory and starts to get visions that she can't seem to decipher. Not only that but Sydney is being followed by a certain group of teenagers who are adamant that she knows them and a mysterious man. Will Sydney ever learn who she is and if she does can she handle the truth? T for possible violence.
1. Chapter 1

*1*

Sydney Sage looks down at the letter in her hand.

_Miss Sydney Katherine Sage is to be put on trial for her proximity to the Forbidden Ones both mentally and physically. She is to be deprived of her title and will be given more consequences based on the Head Court's decision. _

She never thought that she'll be sitting in this dark room sitting next to blood thirsty humans who learned of the Truth. Sydney Sage is different from them all though. Sydney grew up knowing the Truth. She is an alchemist. She is trained to keep the Secret of the Forbidden Ones existence. She had an assignment to play as Princess Jillian Dragomir's sister in America.

Sydney underestimated the mission. She thought it would be easy. After all, she had two sisters and got enough of them both. What Sydney didn't know is that she'd be attacked by crazy humans known as the Warriors of the Light and that she had the ability to use magic. Out of them all, she never thought that Lord Ivashkov would develop feelings for her.

Tears rim Sydney's eyes as she folds the letter. Her father always told her that the heart is the biggest enemy anyone can encounter in the world. He said that the truth always came from what was embedded in the brain. Now days, Sydney's starting to doubt that. Everything's turning so blurry and she's afraid that soon, she won't be able to tell the truth from the lie.

"Miss Sage?" a cold voice calls out.

Sydney looks up from her hands and wipes the tears away from her eyes. "Sir?"

"We are ready for you now."

Sydney sits up and tidies her gown as she pushes herself off the wooden bench. She follows the big, bulky alchemist into the dark room and hears the door close behind her. The one candle that lights up the large room dies out. A small gasp escapes from Sydney as a hand reaches out from the dark towards her. She stumbles back into the door behind her and lets out a cry as the hand finds her arm.

"Let me go!" she says. "Let me go!"

The man doesn't listen as he pulls her into the dark. Sydney starts to scream as she struggles in the man's grasp. Another hand shoots out from the shadows and finds Sydney's other arm. Together, the arms push up Sydney down into what something feels like an iron chair.

"Please, please let me go!" Sydney cries. "I'll do anything, I promise."

"You're a little late Miss Sage," a cold familiar voice says. Sydney looks up into the eyes of Miss Stanton.

The men start to wrap long chains wrap around Sydney's wrists and ankles as Sydney looks into the familiar green eyes Sydney grew up seeing every day.

"Miss Stanton?" Sydney whispers.

"Hello Sydney. I believe you know why you are here today or do we have to really grow through the drill?"

"Th-this doesn't make sense!" Sydney cries out as the two men walk up to stand next to Miss Stanton. "Where is the Court? Where is my trial?"

"Oh little Sydney, you're as silly as your father. There is no trial child. There never was."

"Father? You lied to him?!" she says.

"We told what we tell everyone Sydney."

Sydney looks at Miss Stanton in shock as she faces the truth. "How could you do this? All these years, you taught us what is good from evil, morality from immorality, right from wrong! They aren't the ones who are evil! It's you!"

"Might I remind you that you are one of us Miss Sage? You are born to be one of us."

"No!" Sydney says remembering Lord Ivashkov's words. "None of us are meant to be or do anything. We all have the right to decide what we're going to be. I have the power to choose what I want and I refuse to be one of you!"

Miss Stanton grows silent and Sydney sits in the chair waiting for her death. Her body starts to shake as she remembers that night at Lord Ivashkov's. She shouldn't have left. She should have stayed. She should have heard the truth in his words but she was so deaf, so blind. And now, all she wants to do is to run back to America, back to him and her friends.

"Do it now, and make it quick boys. I got a job for you waiting for you."

"Yes miss," the say.

Sydney closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "They won't leave you know," she says picturing her family in America. She remembers Princess Jill's laugh, Lord Ivashkov's jokes, Angeline's uniqueness and Eddie's kind heart. "They'll find you."

"We'll see about that Sydney, we'll see about that."

Stanton disappears into the darkness of the room and Sydney's hand tightens on the arm of the chairs as the two men walk over to her. She tries to pull her wrists loose from the chains and only manages to shake the chair. Two strong hands pull her head back and pry open her mouth. Sydney shakes her head as tears run down her cheeks.

"Please," she begs. "Please spare me."

The man chuckles as he holds her mouth open. "No can do girl, no can do."

Sydney watches the other man in front of her with horror filled eyes as he walks forward with a glass full of a golden like liquid, as golden as the lily on her cheek. A scream creeps up her throat and she tries to shakes away from the man's grasp.

"Father!" she cries. "God no! Please! Adrian, someone help me!"

The man pours the warm liquid down her mouth. Sydney tries to spit it out but the man behind her pulls her hair so hard that her scream can be heard miles and miles away. Her throat starts to burn as a fire creeps up her throat as the liquid rolls down her throat. Her heart suddenly stops beating and something hard knocks her hard on her head from behind. Sydney lets out a gasp as something warm trickles down from her mouth. Her eyes start to flutter close and soon before Sydney knows it, Sydney feels herself fall into a cold, dark sleep, one she knows that she might not ever wake up from.

**Purrfictionist here! Hey guys this is my second FanFic in the Bloodlines category. Unlike the other one, the idea for this story just popped into my head and I decided to see where it goes. Read and Reply please! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: Sydney's memory just got wiped out so now, Sydney's starting new and is completely unaware of everything from TGL to the first book.**

*2*

Sydney Sage looks into the mirror before her. Her golden blonde hair falls out down her shoulder and stretches out as far as the tips of her elbows. Her gown is a dark yellow with no designs or anything fancy, a gown mean for business woman. That's what her father says when he sends Giana, her maid, out to buy her gowns all in khaki much to Giana's horror. Of course all alchemists are dressed in khaki but only when their in business. Sydney on the other hand has grown to love the plain color. Sydney is a girl who never wastes her time in fashion. No gown can ever make her look beautiful. Beauty cannot be shown by what you wear, but by what's in your heart. On the inside though, Sydney longs to be beautiful outside to. No person, no man can ever see past her dress and her plainness to see what's in her heart. No man ever will. Sydney longs to be like her younger sister Zoe, free of the Truth and beautiful. Sydney sadly knows that she isn't near either of those.

Ever since her father told her that she was an alchemist, she started to get loads of work. Her father has been giving her the cold shoulder ever since the past month and is always looking into her room to see what she's doing as if he is expecting her to jump out the window when he has his back turned to her. Sydney looks down at her hands as she wonders silently why her father hates her so much. These past few days, her father has been increasing her work load. She's being assigned more and more books to read and more papers to write. Not only that, but her father's getting her to meet five new people everyday. Every single one of them had their own story of their meetings with the Forbidden Ones and each of them carried another ounce of horror to add to Sydney's fear.

"Sydney?" Her father calls. "There's someone here to meet you."

Sydney sighs. "Coming father," she says.

Sydney pushes herself off the bed. She looks at her mirror one last time and straightens her gown and braid. She picks up her necklace, slips it around her neck and heads for the door. A nice warm smell greets her in the hallway as Sydney walks down the long narrow corridor of her house to her father's office. It smelled something quite like Christmas, her favorite time of the year. Her mother must be making her favorite soup and bread. Sydney can tell the smell of her mother's cooking a mile away.

Ignoring her stomach's constant protests, she walks into her father's dark, cold room that's lit up by a chandelier of candles sitting on top of his large wooden desk. Her father's desk is piled with papers and ink bottles and quills. She grew up with her father staining his shirts with ink every other second and his mother scolding him. Her father would do nothing but laugh a sound that she misses.

"Father you called me?" she asks as she closes the door behind her.

"Yes I did Sydney. I believe you know Andrew? He is my friend's son, your fellow alchemist partner."

Sydney nods grimly. She didn't like Andrew. She hears things about him all over town, things that make any girl disgusted and frightened of his presence. Luck turned out that Sydney had to have been assigned Andrew as her partner in her first few training months.

"Hello Andrew," she says forcing a smile.

"Sydney," he says back, a sly smile twitching on his lips.

"You two have been assigned a mission by our head," father begins.

Sydney's heart stops breathing. What happened to the books? She wants to say as fear takes over her. The thought of cold, blood red eyes, the sharp white ivory teeth, and a dark, merciless soul set on the path of blood is enough to get her knees shaking.

"A mission sir?" Andrew says stepping up. "What would that be?"

"You are to head off to town square and retrieve a packet from a Moroi who was sent by the head alchemist in America. A packet full of information we had gathered in our past mission from America. The packet has all the information about the mission with the young girl, the princess of the Forbidden Ones. You should remember Andrew; you read off her in the article the head given you a few days back."

Andrew nods in such a quick manner it is clear to both Sydney's father and her how clueless the alchemist is.

"Sydney do you know of the princess?"

"Her name is Jillian Mastrano Dragomir is of 15 years of age. She is the step sister of Queen Vasilissa Dragomir. She has the element of water and is bounded to Lord Adrian Ivashkov. They live in America and are undercover because the Strigoi are plotting to kill the young princess because they want to overthrow the queen."

"Very good," her father says.

Sydney nods at her father and steps back to where Andrew is standing and can practically feel the angry flames radiating off of his tall body. She bits her lip and tries to hold back a smile of success as she looks down at her toes.

"I knew that sir, I forgot in the moment of time."

Father nods and folds his hands on the desk. "You two may start your assignment now and Andrew can you stay behind for a while? I need to talk to you."

"Of course sir."

Sydney leaves the room as silently as she had come in and closes the door behind her. Her bracelet, the one her sister Carly had bought her recently, gets caught on the door knob and Sydney leans over it to undo the knot when she overhears her father's conversation with Andrew.

"Keep a close eye on her Andrew," he says in a hushed voice. "She just came out of it recently and if you see any signs you must bring her back to me immediately."

"Yes sir," he says. "I will."

Sydney gasps and pulls her bracelet off the knob and races down the stairs. Her hands tighten on her gowns as she hops down the steps. She nearly trips over her feet and catches the shelf on the bottom of the stairs for support. Her heart starts to pound against her chest as she looks up at the door of her father's office. What had he meant? What did she just get out of? What signs?

"Miss Sage?" Andrew says.

"I'm here," Sydney says looking into those cold eyes.

"Ah, scared aren't you?" he says as he walks down the stairs, as his footsteps echoing loudly through the house. "Freshies always are. After all you have been reading about the horrifying creatures for so long, you finally get to see one. You're nothing closed to being scared, it gets when it's time for you stand before them or even near them. Everyone always is scared, it's nothing unusual. After all, it's like you're talking to your own death you know?"

Sydney nods numbly as he reaches out for the door next to her.

"Shall we go?"

"Yes," she says, her voice as quiet as whisper.

Sydney follows Andrew down the porch of her two story yellow house and watches as he grimaces at the lilies she had planted her self. She stares at his back with fear and maintains at least six feet distance from him at all times. It's a trick Carly had thought her. The twenty seven year old man is as bright as the sun with his hair a blinding yellow and his eyes a bright topaz but his soul and heart are as dark as the deadly night itself.

Sydney's house is at the far end of Hillsboro Avenue, the road that leads to the central block, also known as Town Square, the place where are all the restaurants, opera houses, and grocery alleys are located. It's also the place where most people are during the day and night. It seems like an odd place for a vampire to set up a meeting here so early in the evening when the sun is still out. Sydney keeps quiet and looks around at the crowded Town Square.

Children run around unattended with lollipops and chocolate in their hands. Couples walk into the parks that branch off of Town Square, hand in hand and business men in fancy coats and ties laugh to each other with their arms filled with books and papers. Not one of them knows of the cold creature sitting somewhere around them who dreams and plans of murdering their brothers and sisters.

"We are here," Andrew says after a while of walking deeper into Town Square.

Sydney looks around at the place he had brought her. It's a dark alley, a place not meant for women and eighteen year old girls like her. She feels Andrew watch her from the corner of his eyes and she clears her throat boldly.

"Where is he?" she says trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"In the alley of course, the Forbidden Ones are not allowed to come out in the sun."

Sydney blushes from the snide comment, clearly a reprisal for her smartness back at her father's office.

"Of course."

Andrew chuckles in a dark tone and walks into the alley. Sydney follows him slowly and eyes the two brick walls that seem to reach out for her. A man with three empty bottles of wine sitting around him laughs and sings.

"A girl she went, a girl who came, a girl who took away my heart. A golden lily, a ray of shine, she left behind,"

Sydney shivers and steers herself away from the pot- bellied man and absent mindedly touches her cheek where the golden lily sits. Andrew seems to ignore this and takes a right leading her into another alley, though this one is empty and free of drunken men. They walk on for another long five minutes when they came to a door that led to a small cabin that Sydney never noticed before.

Andrew reaches out and knocks the door.

"Come in," a loud voice calls out.

Andrew steps and closes the door behind Sydney. Sydney looks around the dark room for the red eyes she had been reading about. Her hand flies to her necklace and she starts to recite prayers in her head as Andrew steps forward. He stops after advancing a foot or two before a table that Sydney didn't make out before.

"Sir Mazur," Andrew says bowing.

"Please," the man says rolling his brown eyes. "Call me Abe, Abe Mazur."

Hey my awesome readers! Thanks for reading and reviewing and here are my special shout outs.

Spaztronaut: Thank you and keep on checking in for (I hope) weekly updates

DropOfLove: Haha thanks!

Guest: Yep! This is my 1800 style re-education, though Richelle Mead's is probably scarier. And thank you!

Read and Reply!

~Purrfictionist


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys Purrfictionist here! First thing I want to do is thank all the people who follow me and reviewed! You guys make my days! I'll try to update more often and hopefully, I will be able to bring on the Sydrian soon **** Anywho, here's the chapter and don't forget to review!**

*3*

{A Month Later}

"Your art is magnificent," a strong voice says.

Lord Ivashkov turns around and faces the lady before him. She's around twenty-one, his age, with big brown eyes. Her long dark black hair tumbles down to her waist in as firm, thick braid topped off with a red ribbon that matches her gown.

"Why thank you," he says as he turns around to face his painting on the wall. His heart plummets as he takes in the golden lily he had drawn earlier the past month when _she _was there. "I like it much myself."

"It reminds me of something I knew once before," the girl says. "Something I grew to hate."

Lord Ivashkov looks at the girl as she reaches out to flip the tag. "The price is very small my Lord, why is that?"

"I am trying to get rid of it. It brings back painful memories of the past."

The lady nods understandingly. "I will pay you twice the money you want."

Lord Ivashkov looks at her shocked. "Twice?" he says.

"Of course Lord Ivashkov, I will send a man out for the painting with the bag of money later this evening. I assume you will be open at six perhaps?"

"Most definitely," he lies. He has been planning to close the art exhibition at four in the afternoon so he can catch the train out of the city. The tavern was waiting for him. "I will be here."

"Good," she says and starts to head out the door.

Lord Ivashkov watches her braid swish back and forth as she jumps down the steps of his large house in amazement. Who is this mysterious lady?

"Wait," Lord Ivashkov calls out as his curiosity gets the best of him. "What is your name?"

"Carly," she says. "My name is Carly Sage."

It has been a month. A whole month has passed since her trip to the allies yet the horrifying memories of the monster seem to haunt her every time she closes her eyes. And for the past few days it's been getting worse. Her fear has been weakening her physically. She's getting massive headaches and a high fever every night. At times, she has been tempted to go to her mother and cry in her lap but she couldn't. She has to watch out for her little sister Zoe. She has to be strong and brave. Sydney has to protect her from the Truth. She has no one at home to talk to but her textbooks that constantly surround her.

She looks at her journal on her desk and reaches for it. There on the first page is a neatly written address. She sighs and closes the journal. She has to get out of here. She needs to go and find her sister. She needs someone to talk to, someone to cry to. She slips the journal into her bag and walks out of her room to come face to face with her father. Sydney's heart plummets as she watches her little escapade come to an end.

"Father," she says.

"Where are you going Sydney? You are supposed to be in your room studying for you exams."

"I am going out to the library father, I needed a book for one of my subjects," she says.

"Which subject would that be?" he asks. "I might have a book in my library."

"Math," Sydney blurts out wisely. She well knows that her father has only books about vampires and alchemy.

"Math?" he says. "I have no textbook for math in my library. You may go,."

"Thank you father"

"You are welcome; now remember to be home before dinner. Your mother and sister will need your help setting up the food and table for our guests today."

"Yes father," she says.

He nods and then turns around to head back to his office. She watches him close the door and then silently slips out of the house making a run towards Town Center. She pushes past the crowd of people hovering over a bakery and nearly runs into a man's bike. She mumbles a sorry and pushes herself further and further away from her house. Her father will be coming out to check on her. She has to get out of Town Center as fast as possible or else…

Ten minutes later, she finds herself standing before a tall, wealthy looking Victorian house. With a shaking hand she reaches out and knocks on the door. No response. She knocks again, this time louder. A moment later, the door knob twitches open and her sister Carly walks out with a huge smile on her face.

"Sydney!" she says. "What a surprise!"

"Can I come in?" Sydney asks out of breath from all the running.

"Of course," Carly says making room for Sydney.

Sydney glances behind her at the empty street and slips into the house, flinching as the door slams close. She turns around to face her sister and gasps.

"Your hair!" Sydney says ogling at her elder sister's long golden hair that's stylishly braided. "It's so beautiful Carly!"

She laughs. "Why thank you Sydney, do you want anything to eat?"

"No," Sydney says.

"I thought so," she says shaking her at her little sister. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Coffee please," Sydney says.

"I knew that," Carly says grinning. "Alfred! One cup of coffee please"

"Yes miss," a warm voice says echoing back and forth in the large, almost empty house.

"I like your house, it's very big," Sydney says. "Did you just move?"

"Yes, it's been a month," Carly says leading Sydney into the large garden outside. "I'm decorating the house currently."

"Oh," Sydney says looking out at the beautiful tulips that broke out from the dark ground. She reaches for one and smiles at the softness of its orange petal, all her fear forgotten.

"Sydney?" Carly calls.

Sydney looks up from the tulips and watches Carly sit down on a stone bench next to the pond. "Yes?"

"Why are you really here? I sent Alfred out to give you the address a month ago. I didn't think you would even bother coming to see me. I mean after all, it's been two years since we talked."

Sydney feels tears fill her eyes and she looks away from her sister. "I wanted to talk to you Carly, I really did but I couldn't, and I know you know why," she whispers.

"You don't have to be the next in line. Give it to Zoe. She wants it,"

"She's a little girl Carly, she knows nothing."

"I just can't take seeing you like this you now Sydney? You look so pale, so frightened. You're like a porcelain doll. What cracked you dear?"

"I saw _them _Carly," Sydney says. "It was just so frightening. You should have seen the look on the monster's face! He looked as frightened as me! And it scared me; he looked at me as if… as if he was shocked. Why would he be shocked Carly? What about me would make him so shocked?!"

"Oh sweetheart," Carly whispers wrapping her arms around Sydney.

Sydney rests her head on her sister's shoulder and lets out the tears she has been holding for a month now. "I just miss you so much," Sydney says. "I miss having someone I can talk to."

"I'm here for you Sydney," Carly says. "I will always be."

A long silence filled them both after the admission. Sydney has wanted to say that to Carly for two years but never got the chance to. Her father would never let her leave to see her. Carly had left the alchemists in the middle of a mission. Carly dropped out of many missions before but this was the big one, the life changing one. Rumors started to spread that Carly had been _associated _with one of the vampires. Her father though was outraged by her action that had weakened as his title. He had kicked Carly out of the house.

Carly Sage was pure, that Sydney knows.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the late update. I've gotten a writer's block and I'm pushing my way through it so give me time **** Hopefully, it's gone now! So read and review!**

*4*

Adrian Ivashkov looks down at the half empty bottle of wine in his hands and pushes the rim of the glass to his lips. He throws his head back and takes a long, relaxing swing. It's dark outside now, way past seven and the hour hands almost on eight. Carly had said that she'd have someone to pick up the painting at six and she's two hours late. Has she forgotten about the painting?

"Why isn't she here yet?" a man drawls out. "It's been over two hours."

"You don't have to be here," Adrian snaps as he comes face to face with Lord Christian Ozera.

Adrian's been getting sick of his snarky comments that fill the air with commotion every two minutes. The only reason he's putting up with the Royal is because one of his few friends, Queen Vasilissa Dragomir, sent him here to watch over Adrian so he doesn't do anything stupid. The thought of it enrages him. He needs no babysitter. He's sane enough to stay alone. He doesn't need anyone's company. And with Lord Ozera came his guardian, Dimitri Belikov. The man's a legend all over the Moroi and Dhampir world. There are very few guardians like him, so dedicated and strong who have taken down as many Strigoi as he did. Dimitri Belikov stole his former lady, Rosemarie Hathaway, known as Rose, his little Dhampir. But Rose is nothing to him now, Rose is nothing like his…

"Are you listening Ivashkov?"

Adrian looks up, shaking his head. He has zoned out again. "No, I was thinking about something. What did you say?"

"I said that you should stop drinking."

Adrian looks down at his now empty wine bottle and sets it aside next to the other ones he has managed to drown earlier in the day. "I'm thirsty."

"Than drink some water," Sir Belikov says. "You do not need to fill yourself with alcohol. Water will fill your stomach as well."

"I didn't ask for your suggestion Belikov."

"My charge and I came here under the Queen's command to watch over you, so I do have the right to give you suggestions."

Adrian's hands ball into fists and he opens his mouth to say something when Christian shushes him. Adrian frowns and turns to see what the young lord is looking at from the window. The town is rather empty with a few people walking home from a long day at work. Three women walk side by side towards the bakery and one, cloaked in a dark cloth that's wrapped around her walks down the pebbled pathway that leads to his building. Adrian can recognize that black cloth anywhere. All the Alchemist women carry one to wrap themselves when approaching men. Why on earth is an Alchemist woman coming towards his building?

"Did you call for an Alchemist?" Christian asks.

Adrian shook his head. "No, I did not. Did you Belikov?"

"I did not Lord Ivashkov."

"Then why is she here?" Adrian whispers.

XXX

Sydney holds onto her cloak tightly and makes her way up the pebbled pathway towards the grand building. Her elder sister is way too obsessed with art. She is so obsessed that she has gone so far as to buy a painting from a Moroi! What on Earth would her father think of her? Of course Sydney will never be the one to rat her sister out but her father has ways to keep tabs on his first daughter and Sydney has warned her sister of this but Carly has ignored her. She is completely oblivious to the danger she has put herself into and the danger she has put Sydney into.

What if someone sees Sydney? What if someone sees through her cloak? It is very dark outside and is very hard to see what's up front and behind but Sydney is not one to take risks. Why did she even agree to this? What if she gets frightened again? What if she freezes in front of the Moroi? Swallowing, Sydney stops before the large door and knocks on the wood with her shaking hand.

The door opens to reveal a tall Moroi who's a little over six feet and like all of the other Moroi, he's handsome. He's like one of the statues the ancient Romans have carved, unrealistically beautiful, flawless, and strong. He isn't like the Dhampirs who build on muscle, the Moroi man is moderately toned, enough to call be called muscular and strong. His hair isn't gelled back like she thought it would and instead is messy, as if he has tried to make it look that way. And his eyes, the Moroi's eyes are a knee weakening emerald. Sydney's heart stops breathing and she takes a step back. Her hands pull on her cloak and she shields her face from the Moroi.

"Do I know you?" the man asks.

"Are you Lord Ivashkov?"

He nods. Sydney has heard of the famous Lord Ivashkov. _He's a slob. A useless Moroi. He's dropped out of his educational courses and has pursued his major in fancying ladies and getting drunk day and night. He is a dangerous man_, her father had said.

"I am here for the painting that Carly Sage requested," she says and reaches into the pocket of her cloak. She holds the bag of money out towards him and watches as he eyes it. "And here is the money for it."

Lord Ivashkov starts to reach for the money and freezes as his eyes come across her pearl bracelet on her wrist. "W-where did you get that?"

"I found it in my room," she answer honestly. She doesn't remember buying or receiving it as a gift. Her family doesn't do gifts for birthdays and Christmas. Her father calls it unnecessary and childish despite her mother's protests. And this pearl bracelet must be worth a lot of money because she's heard that it's found in a store called Tiffa's. Only the extremely rich go there. "Why do you ask?"

"What is your name?" Lord Ivashkov asks as he takes a step towards her. A man behind with ink black hair and icy blue eyes tries to grab his arm but Lord Ivashkov shrugs out of his grasp. "I need to know your name."

"Why?"

"Remove your cloak, I must see your face."

Sydney walks into the tree behind her, shaking. "My names is Sydney Sage, it is improper for us to remove our cloak in front of men good sir, please don't hurt me," she whispers as he reaches out to grab her hand. His fingers are large and thin, an artist's fingers. They swallow her small, shaking hand, in warmth and her arm starts to tingle from the touch. A man has never touched her like this before. Lord Ivashkov takes another step forward towards her and brushes his other hand across her face gently, pulling the cloak down to reveal her face. "Please do not hurt me. Please."

"Adrian Ivashkov," a loud voice booms, heavily accented. "Get off the po-" he starts to say and stops himself as he catches Sydney's eyes. "Sydney?" he whispers.

Adrian's green eyes pour into hers and she is surprised to see tears. "Sage," he whispers. "It's really you my love."

Sydney steps out of his grasp. "What are you saying?"

"What are _you_ saying Sage? Don't you remember me? Don't you remember us?"

"I think you are mistaken for another woman Lord Ivashkov," Sydney tells him. "I am not your Sydney Sage. Please give me my sister's painting so that I may be on my way back home."

Lord Ivashkov watches Sydney with painful eyes. "You remember nothing?"

"Please sir, give me the painting. Here, take your money."

"Don't you remember that bracelet? How you got it?"

Sydney ignores his questions and looks over at the ink haired man to see the painting Carly has described. She walks up the stairs and grabs the painting quickly and runs back down the stairs. She pushes past Lord Ivashkov and runs down the streets, far away from the grand building with the strange Moroi and Dhampir, not looking back even once.

The last thing she hears from Lord Ivashkov as she runs out of the building's sight is, "They've gotten her. They've destroyed my Sage."

**Well what did you guys think? Poor Adrian and I wonder what's the story behind the bracelet? All will be revealed in the future **** I'm planning to write a Mulan themed story for Bloodlines and I've started. I need a cool title though. Does anyone have any ideas?**

_**PLEASE REVIEW! THEY MAKE MY DAY! **_


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